The Monday Afternoon Dishes
by Leper Gnome
Summary: [Avenue Q] ...And the events that follow. [t for swearing and 'sexual references'] [PrincetonxKate]


This is my first Avenue Q fic, and it's terribly fluffy. So if you don't like one-shots filled to the brim with sugary-sweet KatexPrinceton, I suggest you run away now, because the story doesn't go very far before the fluff begins. And another thing, this doesn't really go anywhere, so there's no master plot to unfold, if any of you like that kind of thing.

Disclaimer: I put no claim on Kate Monster, Princeton, Avenue Q, the cereal 'Fruit Loops', or the restaurant-thing 'Subway'. Dig it?

**The Monday Afternoon Dishes**

"Ugh….Stupid dishes….Stupid _eggs_…stupid…_ugh_!!"

Furiously scrubbing a spot on a small bowl, Kate Monster's frown deepened as the water on her furry hands began to feel _very _uncomfortable. Not to mention the water everywhere that she'd have clean up later….

The curses muttered under her breath were becoming increasingly unladylike. _'But who gives a damn about that? I'm alone anyway…' _ To hell with all of it; she'd made a mess of everything today, so it didn't matter.

"…_Goddamnit!!_"

She slumped against the countertop, still scrubbing for all she was worth. Yelling like that _did_ make her feel a _bit_ better…a bit. Just so long as no one showed up, she could—

"Hi, Kate!"

Oh, ew.

"Hey Princeton…"

Kate loved Princeton, she really did, but right about now, it seemed like a real bad idea to give him a key to her apartment. (But that thought only crossed her mind because she was really mad right now and wanted desperately to be alone.)

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, tone slightly childish. He bent down slightly to rest his chin comfortably on her shoulder.

Kate rolled her eyes slightly. One thing to know about Kate Monster; when she was in a bad mood, like, say, now, for instance, she was most likely also in a bitingly (or annoyingly, depending on who you were) sarcastic mood. Princeton should have known better, and now he had better be ready to face her wrath. "Oh, what, this? Oh, not much, I'm just figuring out the cure for leukemia, is all."

"…Oh…but it looks like—"

He stopped suddenly. Kate paused in her scrubbing, then pulled her head back slightly to look at him in disbelief. He couldn't be serious, because she clearly wasn't.

Meanwhile, in Princeton's head, different lines of thought were running amuck, as they often did in a potentially or presently bad situation. The thoughts ranged from _'Ew ew ew ohmygawd!!'_ to _'What the hell, you idiot? Never make a fool of yourself in front of Kate!!',_ but all gave basically the same message: 'Cover yourself, change the subject, do whatever, but do it quick!'

"…Er…" He stopped again, and Kate continued to stare at him, waiting for him to resume speaking.

"So…what's the problem today? Was today sucky, or is it just your time of month to unleash the apocalypse upon New York?" He grinned, and Kate huffed and returned to the dishes. Inwardly, Princeton let out a breath of relief.

"Today sucked…but you keep your jokes to yourself, or I might just save all the apocalyptic-ness for you next time." _'Apocalyptic-ness? Where the hell did _that_ come from? Princeton must me rubbing off on me.' _ Had she been in a better mood, Kate would have been proud of that, but now is seemed almost like a bad thing, especially given his previous awkward comment (well, more like half-comment).

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Aw come on, Kate! Talking will make you feel better!"

"That may be, but all my anger has to go somewhere, and I don't want you taking my wrath in the face if you don't deserve it."

"Oh, you really _do_ care!"

"Psh, so I've heard." What Kate meant was all the…attention she and Princeton were getting, as a couple. In actuality, though, 'attention' was a rather demeaning word for it; they were pretty much the talk of the district, from Avenue A to Z. A Monster being involved in a romantic relationship was terribly uncommon, male or female, and, though Kate and Princeton were certainly grateful for each other, they weren't so grateful for the, ahem, attention.

Anyway, back to their glorious Monday evening.

"Well…if you don't wanna talk, want me to help you out with the dishes?"

Kate drew her head back to look at him again. "Thanks for the offer, but…"

"Ah, what is it now??" His tone was impatient, but Kate knew he was just messing with her, so she continued.

"I can't exactly trust your abilities in the kitchen after that one time…"

"What time?"

"…Remember that one morning when you had to come over here to give me back that book you borrowed, and I had you stay for breakfast?"

"Vaguely…"

"And you made your own breakfast?"

"…Oh…yeah…." It was all coming back to him now…

"I still can't figure out how you managed to burn that cereal…" Kate said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Hey!...I was trying to make oatmeal…."

"Oatmeal? With _Fruit Loops_?"

When Princeton didn't respond, Kate looked at him again, the small smile at full-blown smirk. He glared weakly at her, but soon smiled a bit on his own. "At least I got you to smile."

At that, Kate immediately tried to force down her grin.

"No no no, I knew you were smiling!...Besides, you're sooo pretty when you smile…" Princeton gently pressed a kiss to her cheek, then, nudging her out of the way, started on the dishes.

Kate grunted something incoherent, and Princeton glanced at her. "Whadja say?"

"…Thanks."

"Hey, it's no problem. Besides," a small smile formed on his face, "I wanna show you I can do _something_ right in the kitchen."

There was a pause, in which Kate half-watched Princeton wash the dishes. After about a half a minute, Kate turned her eyes to look at the clock on the microwave. It read 6:47.

"Hey, did you have dinner yet?" Kate looked back up at her boyfriend, who was already looking back at her and seemed to have read her mind. Again.

"No….I usually have dinner at around five-thirty, but I didn't have time today."

"Want me to order us something? I dunno, Chinese takeout, Subway, anything?"

"Mmm…" Kate muttered thoughtfully, shrugging. Suddenly, eyes turned her eyes to him, expression almost suspicious. "What are you being so nice for?"

Princeton almost laughed, but realized she was serious. "What kind of question is that?"

"What do you mean by that?" Kate blinked as Princeton shook his head with a small smile. "Hey, I think that was a completely legitimate question!"

"Kate Monster…"

"Oh, don't you 'Kate Monster' me! Just answer the question!"

"You're making this complicated…." Kate opened her mouth to retort, but Princeton gently pressed his thumb to her lips (after drying his hands, of course), effectively silencing her. "I just came here today because I wanted to visit with you, like a half-decent boyfriend should. And when I got here, you were in a mood, so I figured helping you out should calm you down." Princeton was smirking good-naturedly by the time he finished, his thumb still on Kate's lips. "Now. Is that explanation good enough, or do you wanna take me to court on this?"

Kate rose an eyebrow at him, then her mouth stretched into a grin almost matching Princeton's. After moving his hand away somewhat gently, she quipped, "I couldn't sue you if I wanted to."

"Aw, why, because you love me too much?" Princeton grinned, pulling up closer to Kate's face.

Kate made eye contact, then soon after realized she had set herself up for eminent brain failure. Every time she met his eyes, _every time_, she had to scream internally at herself _'No, no, no, Kate Monster! Look away!! You're about to screw yourself over and look like an idiot!! Beware the chocolate gaze!!!'_ And she always managed to save herself, but at this proximity, there would be none of that any time soon.

"Shit…" she managed, shaking her head slightly in defeat.

Princeton's grin widened; he was winning. This was a bold move, and he couldn't deny the light blush on his cheeks, and also couldn't deny he was a little nervous for some reason. _'Maybe because she might still be pissed and could lash out and kill you any second, doofus.' _ Oh. Right. He feared a bit for his own safety (and dignity), but, he decided, watching Kate completely melt for him right before his eyes was _so_ worth the repercussions. _'If there will even be any repercussions'_, he thought after seeing Kate bite her bottom lip gently.

This lasted for another couple minutes, each second dragging by to both of them. Only when Kate detected an almost challenging glimmer in Princeton's eyes did she come back to her senses, and the seconds tumbled over each other in their rush to pass.

"What are you trying to do _now_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow again.

"I just wanted to see how long it would last."

Kate snorted, and Princeton almost commented on how unladylike that was, but actually stopped before doing so and reminded himself that such a comment would ensure the death of _someone_ in this kitchen, and it wouldn't be Kate. Instead, he smiled and pushed a few stray strands of Kate's hair behind her slightly pointed ear, purposely letting his fingertips brush her neck.

Kate almost didn't feel it, thanks to her fur, but feel it she did, and she made a sound that was a mix between a hiccup and a squeak at the contact. Her neck had always been her weak spot, and Princeton knew. He'd found out during the second or third time they'd….Well, rest assured, he'd had plenty of chances to experiment.

"You're cute. Really cute, Kate…"

"I thought that was only when I smiled."

"You're _pretty_ when you smile."

"I suppose that's the only time, then?"

"Kate Monster!"

"…What?"

"Don't say something like that. I think you're beautiful, Kate, all the time."

Kate's eyebrows shot up at that, an action which made Princeton fix her with a stern gaze.

"I mean it, Kate."

"Oh, I know, I know…it's just….Why the sudden outburst?"

"…You're right. Sorry, sorry…I just kinda flip out when someone says something about themselves that isn't true."

"I understand, Princeton….Hey, don't worry about it," Kate said, putting a hand on his shoulder, as he still looked a bit sheepish. "I was thinking when I said that, anyway. And…when you said…you know, that…you think I'm beautiful…it really made my day, Princeton. So thank you."

Princeton looked up, and Kate was closer than he'd expected. Much closer. In fact, all he could really see were her eyes, but she could tell she was smiling, genuinely. Princeton was a little surprised to feel himself blushing; they'd been in much more…compromising situations than this, so they way they were now, no physical contact (except for their noses, but just barely), just standing there, shouldn't have been a problem.

Suddenly, Kate rose to stand on her toes, putting a hand on Princeton's shoulder. When they were (almost) level with each other, Kate, quite predictably, pressed her lips to his in a calm kiss. Her other hand remained at her side.

Princeton, for some reason he could not explain to himself, was just standing there, not moving but not tense either. His eyes were wide open, and all he could think was _'What the hell just happened?'_

Kate pulled away, but only so much that she wasn't kissing him anymore. She looked at him curiously, one eyebrow cocked slightly.

"Kate…?"

Kate smiled again. "I love you," she whispered, before kissing him again. This time, Princeton was only still for a few seconds before hooking one arm around the small of her back and returning the kiss. His other hand gripped her free one, their fingers interlacing, and their arms remaining down at their sides.

When they pulled away simultaneously, their noses where still touching. This time, when Kate met Princeton's eyes, she stared into them willingly. "I love you, Princeton," she repeated, giving his hand a squeeze.

Something clicked in Princeton's mind about his relationship with Kate for the first time. "Kate…" he began, his gaze delving deeper into hers, "I love you too. And…you know something?" He smiled, his free hand coming up to cup her chin. "I don't think I've ever felt so…_loved_…as I do with you, Kate."

Kate bit her lip again, her eyes welling with tears. "Princeton…"

Princeton kissed her again, and Kate flung her arms around his neck, almost desperately.

'_He's a keeper.' _

**The End… sniff**

This is probably the best thing I've ever done…in my opinion, anyway. I'm actually really good with fluff, but I'm always too shy to post it. ; So anyway, review I hope, anything's accepted.


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